People who are ‘height challenged’ often find themselves at a disadvantage. Others, however, find a way to make lemonade out of any lemons that life happens to throw at them. Perhaps they may look at some advantages that come with being shorter, such as being able to ride certain amusement park rides or finding clothing on the rack that actually fits you.
That being said, there is something about lacking height that often causes problems. It has to do with a matter of perspective. Anytime you find yourself in the crowd or if you are taking part in a group photo, your lack of height is quickly going to become apparent. You can spend a lot of time trying to look up over the top of people or peeking through for a desperate look when all you can really see are heads and shoulders.
Those who are vertically challenged have experienced these difficulties since time began but there is a solution on the horizon.
This is where Dominic Wilcox comes in. He is an inventor and he has a pair of glasses that will provide a height advantage for anyone who happens to be in the ‘short’ category.
The glasses are essentially periscope glasses. They are known as ‘One Foot Taller’ spectacles and they will instantly add 12 inches to your stature. Rather than being stuck behind the crowd, you will be able to tower over it as far as your field of vision is concerned.
Wilcox is not a short person, so the glasses give him even more of a boost. Even though he is not vertically challenged, he does have empathy for those who are shorter than most.
He even calls us the inspiration for those glasses.
“I was standing at a gig and turned to see a small woman dancing away but unable to see the band. This gave me the inspiration to design a way for people to see over obstacles such as tall people like me. It works well, though dancing with it on might be a challenge.”
Admittedly, it may not be easy to navigate your way through a crowded audience with these glasses on your head but if somebody happens to see you coming, they are also likely to get out of the way.
Microsoft challenged inventors to come up with ways to solve everyday problems and we feel that Wilcox did it with flying colors. He also came up with the Directing Jacket, which offers an opportunity for pedestrians to go past an oncoming pedestrian.
The One Foot Taller glasses were shown at the Extraordinary Solutions to Everyday Problems exhibit at D&AD Festival last month. If you haven’t yet had the opportunity to see them in action, it may not be very long before you can own a pair for yourself.
